Introduction to Japanese Baseball Cards

The following is a short introduction to Japanese baseball cards.  No detailed history of Japanese baseball cards has been written to date, but collectors interested in learning more about Japanese cards should try to find copies of Dennis King's Japanese Baseball Card Quarterly (1991) and Robert Klevens's (1991) Guide to Japanese Baseball & Baseball Cards and should consult Gary Engel and Paul Margiott's Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide.  Other good sources on Japanese cards include the Japanese Baseball Enthusiast published in 1993 and 1994 and Yakyu published between 1994 and 1996.  If you can read Japanese, you shouldn't miss Sports Card Magazine, currently being published in Japan.

Pre-World War II
Baseball was introduced to Japan in the 1870s, supposedly by Horace Wilson a teacher at Ichiban Chugaku (now Tokyo University).  Although the game quickly became popular, professional leagues were not organized until 1936 and did not really mature until after World War II.  As a result, pre-World War II baseball cards from Japan are extremely rare and usually depict college players or generic baseball scenes.  Typical cards of this period include postcards and both colorful hand-drawn and photo bookmarks.

 1948-1957
After World War II baseball became a passion for many Japanese.  The professional teams were organized into two leagues (the Central and Pacific) in 1950 and baseball memorabilia flourished.  Cards from this era (1948-1957) are usually of two major types: menko and bromides.  Menko can be either rectangular, round, or die-cut.  Although all three types have colorful pictures of the players on their fronts, rectangular and die-cut menko usually have a variety of games printed on their backs while the round ones usually have blank backs.  Menkos were commonly flipped by Japanese boys in the same way as pogs are flipped today.  Bromides, on the other hand, were actual photographs printed on thin paper.  Their backs are usually blank.  Other cards such as Kuruta (a game used to each the Japanese alphabet), playing cards, and other types of game cards were also produced in this period.

Typical bromide card from the late-1940s and early-1950s
 

1958-1964
Japanese baseball entered a new era during the late-1950s.  At this time, many of the league's first stars, such as Tetsuharu Kawakami, Kaoru Betto and Fumio Fujimura, retired and new stars emerged.  Among the new superstars were Shigeo Nagashima, Sadaharu Oh, Isao Harimoto, Katsuya Nomura, and Kazuhisa Inao.  Many types of cards were produced in the late-fifities to mid-sixities but the dominant type were rectangular menko (often called "Tobacco Type" cards by Americans).  These cards were sold in hanging bundles called taba or in uncut sheets.  A number of these sets were imported in quantity to America by servicemen.  These cards can still be found at major card shows - often in the oddball boxes.  Another popular set from this era are the 1964 Morinaga cards.  This postcard-size issue comes in two styles: Standups and Top Stars (non-standups).  Both have vivid color pictures on the fronts and information about the player on the backs.

1965-1972
In 1965, the Yomiuri Giants won the first of nine straight Japan Series championships.  Although this streak is one of the most famous accomplishments in Japanese baseball history, few baseball cards were issued during this period.  The only major set produced during this time was the valuable Kabaya Leaf set issued in 1967.  This set of 105 cards included only players from the Giants, Dragons, Tigers, Flyers, Hawks and Lions.  These cards were imported to the United States and were sold through baseball card newsletters. As a result, although the set is rare, they are more common in the States than in Japan.  Because the importer was not able to purchase equal amounts of each card in the set, there are four very rare and an additional five rare cards.  The set includes two styles of card fronts: one has a circular picture - similar to the 1959 Topps set, while the other contains a square picture.

1973- present
 In 1973, Calbee produced its first modern baseball card set of 91 cards.  A single card was included in each package of Calbee snack food - Calbee collectors need to eat (or throw out) a lot of potato chips!  Since 1973, Calbee has produced at least one baseball set each year.  The number of cards in each set varies greatly from the mammoth 1, 436 card 1975/76 set to the small 1993 set of 144 cards. Calbee cards come in four sizes.  From 1973 to 1980, the cards were slightly smaller than standard American cards.  During the 1980 series, they reduced the card size to roughly the same as the 1950 Bowman cards.  This size was kept until 1990, when the company once again changed the size in mid-series, this time to the size of telephone cards.  In 1998, the cards were increased to the size of modern American cards.  Only a handful of collectors have put together the entire Calbee series.

Although Calbee was the most important producer of Japanese cards during the 1970s and 1980s, other companies also produced sets during this period.  Between 1976 and 1981, Yamakatsu issued at least eleven sets.  The cards from these sets varied in size from approximately 7 by 10 inches to the size of 1950 Bowmans.  Oversize insert cards were also produced.  Yamakatsu cards generally have "pure" fronts containing only a color picture and printed backs relating facts about the pictured player.  Other 1970s issues include the 1977 Nippon Ham set and the NST stamp sets from 1975, 1977 and 1978.

In 1979, Takara introduced a baseball strategy game with individual cards for each player.  Card fronts included the player's picture and statistics while the backs contained potential outcomes of at bats based on the player's actual statistics.  Participants rolled dice and checked the back of a card for the results of each at bat.  Although from 1978 to 1980 the sets only included Central League teams, Takara produced 30 players for all the Japanese teams between 1981 and 1998.  Takara sets include many players' true rookie cards and the only cards of many gaijin players.

During the late-1980s and early-1990s two companies tried, with limited success, to enter the Japanese card market.  I.S.T. issued small sets of menko and other cards in 1988 and 1989.  These cards had colorful drawings of star players on their fronts and player information on their backs.  In 1989 and 1990, the Lotte candy company produced sets of 120 cards.  Cards were roughly telephone card size and contained attractive actions photos on the front and statistics on the back.  The 1989 Lotte cards are especially desirable.

The Japanese baseball card industry was transformed in 1991 when BBM issued their first set of 399 cards.  Modeled after modern American cards, the set included most of the active players as well as cards of league leaders and a special subset of all-time great players.  Each year BBM produces a basic set, small sets honoring the All-Star games and the Japan Series, special team sets, and since 1996 a premium set.

1991 BBM Nomo "rookie" card
 
 
 
 

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